Precious director Lee Daniels' scored a big thumbs up from us by casting Zac Efron to dance around in his underwear in The Paperboy, but it turns out he wanted another one of our favorite people to star as well — Oprah Winfrey!

And if he got his way, she would been MASTURBATING on the big screen for all to see!

The director recently revealed that he originally asked the Big O to play the part of Anita the maid, but after she turned it down, he cast Macy Gray instead.

While it would have been VERY inneresting to see Oprah in the role because it required her to masturbate on the floor during a scene, Daniels admitted the singer was "the right choice after all" and explained:

Girl must have an EXTREME gambling addiction if it interferes with her professional commitments!!

According to a very good source EXCLUSIVE to PerezHilton.com, minutes before Macy Gray was slated to take the stage with Seal at the Foxwoods MGM theater in Connecticut, she cancelled her set claiming she was too sick to perform…

BUT, the soulful singer was spotted by various members of the audience